Winchester 94 ''trapper'' .357

[Moloch]

Hi!

I am looking for a short and handy fast repeating knock-around rifle for home defence. I live alone in a remote location in a house with brick wall so overpenetration is no issue. I am not from the US and semi-auto rifles are pretty hard to get and I always had a soft spot for lever action rifles.

I've seen a factory new Winchester 94 model trapper (the really short one) in .357 but did not take a closer look. The dealer wants 450 bucks for it.
I just cycled one dummy round and it felt awesome smooth even bone dry, a bit loose maybe.

So how many rounds does it hold? Does it cycle without any problems? Is the rifle reliable? Is the action hard to field strip for cleaning?

I would like to take it every now and then to the range for 50yds fun plinking, is it accurate enough?

.357 because I've heard the bullets get some decent amoutn of extra velocity over pistol barrel lengths with almost no recoil and muzzle climb but with a lot more rounds in the magazine than .30-30.

Suggestions? Opinions?

 

[L_Killkenny]

A 16" lever gun is on the top of my list and I've been looking for a reasonably priced one for awhile now. But you don't want a Win 94. Don't get me wrong, I think that the Win 94 is a great gun but it's platform was designed for the 30/30 and it works best right there. If you want a .357, look to the Marlin 1894's and the Win 92 replicas.

 

[Moloch]

You mean that shoter rounds than 30-30 have feeding issues because the system was made for the longer round? Like with bolt actionr rifles using short action rounds in a long action system?

The last thing I would need in an home defence scenario would be feeding issues!

The marlin leverguns are just too expensive for me, I dont have more than 700 bucks to blow...

 

[kyle663]

they've made model 94's in everything from 22lr on up with success. i doubt you would have any feeding issues with it. but if you could find a used marlin it would be just as good.

 

[Bitmap]

I don't know about the .357 model or if this is characteristic of all M94s, but I was playing with a M94 in .44mag and the ammo it had trouble with had bullets that were loaded long. They were 265gr. truncated cone loads with a long nose and a small diameter flat on the front. The overall length was greater than the typical 240gr. factory ammo. The lifter had trouble getting that round into the chamber when I cycled the action quickly.

With 240gr. JHP ammo it had no trouble. Also had no trouble with 300gr. truncated cone flat nose loads. That bullet had a much wider flat point and the cartridge overall length was about the same as the 240gr. JHPs.

It seemed to me that if the cartridge was too long it had feeding trouble. All the standard length rounds I tried worked fine.

You might check on a forum dedicated to Cowboy Action Shooting or maybe leverguns.com and get some input from those people. They put lots of rounds through guns like that and probably know about the issues they have and know lots of tricks and tips on getting them to work right.

FWIW I like the Marlin better myself. I like the XS Scout mount for it and the lack of a rebounding hammer. Any idea why the Marlin cost so much more there?

ETA:

they've made model 94's in everything from 22lr on up with success.

The .22 rimfire versions of the M94 i.e. 9422, 9422M, 9417, are not the same action as the M94 centerfire guns. The rimfires are solid topped with side ejection and the tube magazine loads from the front instead of through a loading gate like the centerfires.

That being said, I've never heard until now that the handgun caliber M94s had any kind of feeding troubles, but I still like the Marlin better.

 

[roklok]

I say go for it. I have a 94 Trapper in .44 Mag and have never had any feeding issues. I also have a .357 Puma and HAVE had feeding issues with it.

 

[458winshooter]

357 mag lever action

I have a 357 mag Puma with the 20 inch barrel and love it.Mine is an older one a Rossi/Interarms import.They are now inported by Legacy.Don't let the fact that they are not a Winchester or Marlin stop you from looking at one.They are good guns for the money.Paco Kelley wrote an article on them some years back and He loaded them pretty hot without any problems.They do make a trapper model last I heard.With a 38 special load they kick like a 22lr.

 

[perpster]

Not sure, but IIRC the Winchesters eject casings out the top, making scope mounting a problem. The Marlins eject to the right side and many come pre-tapped/drilled for scope mounts.

 

[gak]

Ditto the choice of the 92 (or if you must , Marlin) over the 94.

I say go for it. I have a 94 Trapper in .44 Mag and have never had any feeding issues. I also have a .357 Puma and HAVE had feeding issues with it.

Particular gun or manufacturer issues, not the design. Stick with the '92 as a few have said...a much (much) better pistol-caliber design. The 92 trapper (and probably the 94 also) carries about 6-7, and out of the 20" regular carbine about 10, depending on the cartridge tube follower/spring etc. Anyway, at least 6 for the trapper. Using 38's will increase the count by 1 in either case. And, yes, it is true that some 92 357s feed 38s better than others.
There are three basic ways to go with a 92, in no particular order except availability and cost (lowest to highest) perhaps

1. The aforementioned Brazilian-made Rossi 92s by a variety of importers -- older pre-safety models (preferred) or the current ones (EMF, Legacy/Puma, etc.),
2. The more expensive current Italian imports (made by Chiappa/Armi Sport - and distributed by Cimarron, Taylors and now Legacy/Puma*, and maybe a few others)...which sport nice walnut stocks, and
3. The long-discontinued Browning 92. The B92 is pretty scarce in .357 (vs .44 mag, its other chambering--though still not a lot of them either) and therefore commands even higher prices....but these are excellent--many feel the best of all the modern-era 92s made. A very nice Browning .357 is about the same price as the current Armi Sports.

I don't include a recent (early 2000s) run of Miroku, Japan - made Win 92s (same plant as the older Brownings) - as there aren't many of them and are fairly pricey...but that's another route, though to me "unnecessary" for your purposes. With the availability of the three listed above, no need to get the more recent , especially given their price and that they have some undesirable (in my view) features - vs the Browning and others - added due to the current lawyerly world we live in...those being a tang safety (still better than the current Rossi safeties) and rebounding hammer--like all recent year (decades) Wins.

*Legacy/Puma recently announced that it has "upgraded" its 92 (formerly the Rossi product) to the more expensive Armi Sport model. These are pretty true to the original Win design, including the period-correct ladder sight that a good percentage of carbines and trappers sported.

 

[Moloch]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I just got a deal and I think I'll jump on it.

New Marlin 1894C in .357 9 rounds and 35'' length overall for 700 bucks sounds like a good deal to me.

They also have a Rossi for 550 which also looks high quality, thats gonna be a though decision!

By the way, what do you guys think abouzt the Taurus thunderbolt in .357?

 

[pvq]

FWIW, I have both the Trapper and the 1894C in 357. I like the Marlin Better, but either will be fine for your needs.

 

[Old John]

Buy It!

I have a Winchester 94 Trapper, in .357 and a Winchester 94 Trails End in
.45 Colt, 20 in. barrel.
I've had them both for about 7 or 8 years. I shot the .45 Colt in CAS, a bit, for awhile.
I never had a bit of trouble with either of my 94's
I also have a Marlin 1894, in .45 Colt. It's prettier but has a longer octagonal barrel. It's mostly a safe queen.

IF I had a chance at another Winchester 94 Trapper, .357 magnum, at $450.........I'd buy it in a Heartbeat.
Oh, my little Trapper, .357 will take out a coyote at 40 or 50 yards, every time.
Buy it if you can.

 

[ROCK6]

I would snag it for the $$ as well. My little Trapper is an absolute joy to shoot. Never had a feeding issue with 125gr 38's up to 180gr 357's. I don't care for the wide loop I put on it and need to put the original back on...

ROCK6

 

[karen429]

The 94 Trappers are great guns, light and easy to handle. You won't be dissapointed. The only negative is that they are discontinued and parts hard to come by.

 

[rc]

price is ok

If you look at what a new marlin would cost that's competitive considering they are out of production. The marlin 1894's are also good. rc